Inter-community and on-farm asymmetric organic matter allocation patterns drive soil fertility gradients in a rural Andean landscape.

• Autores: Caulfield, Mark E.; Fonte, Steven J.; Tittonell, Pablo Adrian; Vanek, Steven J.; Sherwood, Stephen; Oyarzun, Pedro; Borja, Ross Mary; Dumble, Sam; Groot, Jeroen C.J.
• Año de publicación: 2020
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Land Degradation & Development 31 (18) : 2973-2985 (December 2020)
• Materia: Ecuador; Ordenación de Recursos Naturales; Carbón Orgánico del Suelo; Paisaje Agrícola; Fertilidad del Suelo; Natural Resources Management; Soil Organic Carbon; Agricultural Landscape; Soil Fertility
• Institución: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria

Soil fertility in agricultural landscapes is driven by complex interactions between natural and anthropogenic processes, with organic matter (OM) inputs playing a critical role. Asymmetric allocation patterns of these resources among communities and within individual farms can lead to soil fertility gradients. However, the drivers and consequences of such patterns in different socioecological contexts remains poorly documented and understood. The objective of this study was to address this gap by assessing asymmetric OM allocation patterns and the associated consequences for soil fertility management in three indigenous communities located in the Central Ecuadorian Andes. We found that both distance from homestead and perception of fertility were associated with asymmetric OM allocation patterns to fields as well as with soil fertility gradients within farms. For example, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), and exchangeable potassium (K) all decreased with distance from the homestead, while SOC, total N, and available P were positively correlated with a farmer's perception of soil fertility. We note that these fertility gradients remained even in the case of increased farm-level OM inputs. Overall OM allocation patterns differed significantly among communities and were associated with significant differences in soil fertility, with the highest levels of available P and exchangeable K found in the community with the highest OM inputs. The results of this study indicate the importance of asymmetric OM allocation patterns encountered at different scales, both within farms and among neighboring communities, in rural Andean landscapes and their significant interactions with soil fertility gradients.
EEA Bariloche
Fil: Caulfield, Mark E. Wageningen University & Research. Farming Systems Ecology; Países Bajos
Fil: Caulfield, Mark E. Fundación EkoRural; Ecuador
Fil: Caulfield, Mark E. Colorado State University. Department of Soil and Crop Sciences; Estados Unidos
Fil: Fonte, Steven J. Colorado State University. Department of Soil and Crop Sciences; Estados Unidos
Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Wageningen University & Research. Farming Systems Ecology; Países Bajos
Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche. Grupo Interdisciplinario de Agroecología, Ambiente y Sistemas de Producción; Argentina
Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Université de Montpellier. Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD). Agroécologie et Intensification Durable (AïDA); Francia
Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Groningen University. Institute of Evolutionary Life Science; Países Bajos
Fil: Sherwood, Stephen. Wageningen University & Research. Knowledge Technology and Innovation; Países Bajos
Fil: Oyarzun, Pedro. Fundacion EkoRural; Ecuador
Fil: Borja, Ross Mary. Fundacion EkoRural; Ecuador
Fil: Dumble, Sam. Statistics for Sustainable Development; Reino Unido
Fil: Groot, Jeroen C. J. Wageningen University & Research. Farming Systems Ecology Group, Plant Sciences; Países Bajos